BANGALORE: The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), which conducts common entrance test for engineering, medical and dental courses, will launch a comprehensive website offering information on colleges and job options.
TENTATIVE DATES FOR CET 2011: KEA has announced the tentative dates for next year's CET. The exam will be held on April 27 and 28, 2011. The authority will now write to different examination conducting bodies to ensure that the dates do not clash with other entrance exams. The final notification will, however, be issued only in February, 2011. TOI
Quota for OBCs in ZPs to be reworked
Another ordinance restoring status quo ante to be sent to Governor
Number of seats set apart for OBCs in some ZPs has been reduced drastically. SEC issued a notification on Monday prescribing ward-wise reservation
Bangalore: The State Government, in view of the outcry by Opposition parties against the reduction of seats for other backward classes (OBCs) in zilla panchayats, has decided to issue another ordinance to restore the status quo ante on the number of seats set apart for them.
A meeting of the Cabinet on Tuesday decided to submit the ordinance to Governor H.R. Bhardwaj for approval, yielding to the demand of the Opposition, which has been crying foul about the move. The earlier ordinance was promulgated about a month ago, based on which the State Election Commission issued a notification on Monday highlighting the reservation of seats set apart for various categories: Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, OBCs and women.
Briefing presspersons on the decisions taken at the Cabinet meeting, Minister for Higher Education V.S. Acharya and Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs S. Suresh Kumar said the Government would opt for a fresh ordinance on Wednesday to maintain the existing reservation for OBCs (before the October 4, 2010 ordinance was issued). Consequently, the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act will be amended in the next session of the State legislature.
What has upset the Opposition parties is the drastic reduction in the number of seats set apart for OBCs in some zilla panchayats. For instance, in the Raichur and Chitradurga zilla panchayats, the number of seats for OBCs had been reduced from 10 to two. In all, the ordinance had resulted in the number of seats for OBCs declining from 334 to 223, roughly working out to a 30 per cent reduction.
The existing ordinance and the notification issued by the State Election Commission based on it will be operative till the Governor decides to promulgate the fresh ordinance.
Dr. Acharya and Mr. Kumar said that keeping in mind the Supreme Court's order to limit the reservation to 50 per cent (for OBCs, SCs, and STs) the Government issued the first ordinance. But this had reduced the number of seats for OBCs. Apart from amending the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act, the Government, if need be, would approach the Supreme Court to safeguard the interest of the OBCs, the Ministers said.
Notification
The State Election Commission on Monday issued a notification prescribing ward-wise reservation for various categories for the forthcoming zilla panchayat elections. The commission earlier issued a notification on October 18 determining the total number of seats reserved for different categories in each of the zilla and taluk panchayats.
Several leaders of the backward class, including president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee G. Parameshwar, have taken exception to the reservation matrix, which has reduced the total number of seats reserved for the backward classes. With the Government deciding to opt for another ordinance to rectify the lapse, the preparations for the panchayat elections are likely to be delayed.
Bangalore: The Karnataka government late on Tuesday approved the second phase of the Bangalore Metro project (51 km) at a cost of a whopping Rs.14,774 crore (Rs.147.74 billion).
'The cabinet has given approval for the second phase of the Namma Metro comprising 51 km at a cost of Rs.14,774 crore by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL), which is executing the first phase of 42.5km at a cost of Rs.11,609 crore,' Higher Education Minister V.S. Acharya told reporters here.
The second phase will be built at five places across this tech hub, with the state government contributing Rs.6,395 crore as its share to the ambitious project.
The balance Rs.8,379 crore will be shared by the central government and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation through a long-term credit.
'The detailed project report has been submitted by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (DMRCL). The project cost has been revised from the estimated Rs.5,453 crore in 2005-06 due to overall increase in the cost of construction at the prevailing rates,' Acharya said after the cabinet meeting.
The second phase of the metro route will operate from Mysore Road to Kengeri (7.7km), Baiyappanahalli to International Technology Park Ltd (ITPL) at Whitefield (11.6km), Hesaraghatta to Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) on Tumkur road (4.2km), Puttenahalli Cross to Anjanapura (6.7km) and from Indian Institute of Management (IIM) at Bannerghatta to Nagavara, a distance of 21.1km.
The first phase is under implementation by the state-run BMRCL, a special purpose vehicle floated by the state government with equity participation by the central government.
The state and central governments have 15 percent equity state each in the metro project.
The East-West corridor connecting Baiyappanahalli to Mysore Road terminal covers 18.1km and the North-South corridor from Hessaraghatta to Puttenahalli covers 23.7km.
The first phase is scheduled to be completed by September 2012. Out of the 42.3km, 8.8km will be underground near City Railway Station, Vidhana Soudha, Majestic and City Market and the rest will be elevated.
'The first reach between Baiyappanahalli and the Cricket Stadium on M G Road will be completed by December 2010. The second phase of the project will be taken up simultaneously with the first phase, Acharya added.
Here is a sample of "news manufacture"
The State government has prepared a draft legislation to solve the issue related to Moolageni (original allottee) in the district, said Higher Education Minister Dr V S Acharya.
DHNS/ Photo Janardan Kodavoor
Speaking at the 55th Kannada Rajyotsava celebrations at Ajjarkadu district Stadium on Monday, he said there was no declaration under Land Reforms Act for Moolageni. To solve the problems related to Moolageni, a draft legislation has been prepared. The documents will be simplified by the revenue department.
Udupi, Nov 1: Accepting the challenge by the union law minister M Veerappa Moily to have a survey/review to bring out the truth of actual funds spent by the state government for the grants released by the central government towards union government sponsored programme, the Higher Education minister Dr V S Acharya on Monday November 1 said that the state government was ready for such a survey.
Replying to the criticism made by Moily on Saturday October 30 at Nitte that the second position given to Karnataka was not really a “Certificate” for the achievements in the developmental activities but only for spending the central grants whereas it's actul utilization will be known only when a survey will be conducted, Dr Acharya asserted that the state which was in 12th position in 1992 had today attained the second position in the entire country after Gujarat state in the successful implementation of 20 point programme of poverty alleviation.
“A small portion of grant had been given by the centre, while the state government has on its own had launched several innovative programmes. On the other hand, he said that the centre was yet to release grants under Rural Development (RD) programme. He said that for the first time in the country, the BJP government in the state had this year made available a whopping allocation of Rs 10,503 crore in the education sector. It had also attained the first position in terms of plan expenditure through mobilization of resources without taxing which was at 11 percent of GPDP.
He also stressed the need that besides, awareness about new aspects like financial literacy, computer literacy, web literacy, legal literacy and energy literacy, we need to have cultural and religious literacy to know about the cultural growth of Karnataka.
Referring to power situation, he said that Udupi Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) near Padubidri in the district, in its first stage of production had already producing 600 MW power. In the second stage, expected to be commenced by the end of December this year, an additional 600 MW would be added. Out of the total power produced by the UPCL, 10 percent production would be passed on to the national grid and remaining would be supplied to the MESCOM covering four revenue districts.
He said that there was an estimated loss of Rs 28 lakh due to the torrential rains that hit the district during the three days from October 21 to 23 which had severely damaged all major roads and National Highway. The district administration had already received Rs. 8 crore to take up the repair works. He said he had also specially asked the National Highway Authorities to take up the repair works at the earliest along with the ongoing work of construction of new bridges and culverts on the four lane project between Suratkal and Kundapur. Funds had also been released for the Rs 45 crore widening of Padubidri-Karkala (from 7.5 mt to 15.5 mt).
The revenue department had also given its approval for widening work between Kalsanka and Kallianpur
road, he added. The minister said that the work on the Rs 27 crore district administration complex at Manipal under the completion stage and planned to inaugurate by the end of December. In all Rs 22 crore had already been released, he said and added that a proposal is also before the government for the
construction of Circuit House in Udupi and Mangalore at the cost of Rs 3 crore.
Udupi, Nov 1: Kannada Rajyotsava celebration was held at Board High School ground here on Monday November 1. The district-in-charge minister Dr V S Acharya offered puja to Bhuvaneshwari – patron goddess of Karnataka on the occasion.
Minister Acharya hoisted the Kannada flag at the Mahatma Gandhi municipal ground, Ajjarkad, here and accepted the guard of honour from district police force, NCC and Scouts and Guides among others.
Meanwhile, the district Rajyotsav Awards were presented to 22 distinguished personalities for the outstanding services in their respective spheres.
The cultural programmes were staged by the students of various schools during the programme. Kaup MLA Lalaji R Mendon, deputy commissioner Hemalata P, superintendent of police Praveen Madhukar Pawar, town councilor Kiran Kumar, Udupi Urban Development Authority chairman Sudhakar Shetty,
taluk panchayat president Shyamala Sudhakar, zilla panchayat president Gladys D’Almeida and zilla panchayat chief executive officer Rajashekar among others were present.
Karnataka reigning administration conferred state Rajyotsav Awards to seven outstanding individuals from Udupi district, for their remarkable contributions or achievements in their respective field or chosen career: Ashwini (sports), Gopal Kharvi (swimming), Barkur Shantaram Shetty (Kambala), Bhasker Kogga Kamath (puppet show), Bhadragiri Sarvottam Das (drama), Mogaveer Yuva Sanghatane (blood donation) and Bannanje Sanjeev Suvarna (Yakshagana guru) were the recipients of the state Rajyotsava award.
Report by Daijiworld
Photo: Janardan Kodavoor
Mangalore, Oct 30: "Through practising the family doctor concept, one can enjoy longevity and healthy life", said Dr V S Acharya, minister for higher education.
He was delivering a lecture on ‘Health for all’ at the inaugural function of ‘IMA Medicon-2010, a two-day annual conference of the Karnataka State Branch of Indian Medical Association held at Dr TMA Pai International Convention Centre here on Saturday, October 30.
He inaugurated the scientific session organized on the occasion. This is the 76th annual conference organized by IMA.
Acharya further said that right from the ancient days patients have retained more level of confidence on their family doctors. Hence there is every need for refurbishing the ‘family doctor concept’. Adding to that he stressed to take care about behavioural disorders which have emerged to be one of the dangerous ailments in the modern days of busy life.
He called upon people to take care of preventive measures of any of the diseases and maintain the nutritional aspects. He pointed out that modern doctors have more challenges as the primary health centres in rural areas are yet to gain superiority at the grass root level. He called upon all the doctors to make sure that the community is happy and healthy.Daijiworld/
Mangalorean:Pointing to the trend where the top half of MBBS graduates opted for post-graduation and super-specialisation courses, he said less-qualified graduates were filling the role of the family physician. “Family physicians play a vital role in the health delivery system. We need to attract good doctors to play this role as well,” he said.Dr. Acharya said MBBS graduates should be given the option of getting trained for three years as family physicians. Such candidates should be given MD certificate at the end of such extended training. The IMA used to offer a family physicians' course and popularised the concept of MD degree for family physicians. However, medical colleges did not want to give up one PG seat allocated for general medicine to accommodate an MD course for family physicians, Dr. Acharya said
The Sri Krishna Temple in Udupi will no longer be under the control of the State with the “erroneous notification” of the Muzrai Department published in April 2003 being withdrawn with immediate effect.
Briefing presspersons on the Government Order, Minister for Higher Education and Udupi district in-charge, V.S. Acharya, said the 800-year-old temple would be administered by the Ashta Maths, as has been practised for several centuries.
The Paryaya swamiji, who offers worship to Lord Krishna at the temple, will also administer the Krishna Math, and both the math and the temple were considered an integral math in accordance with a judgment of the Supreme Court.
Dr. Acharya said it was unfortunate that a government department issued an erroneous notification classifying the Sri Krishna Temple, along with several other temples, as a property of the Government.
A formal representation was made to the Government in August 2008 requesting that the Sri Krishna Temple be denotified from the list of temples notified by the Muzrai Department as those belonging to the Government.
Education: In another development, the Government has written to the Union Home Minister highlighting what it has termed the non-cooperation of Governor H.R. Bhardwaj in the administration of the State.
Dr. Acharya said it was improper of the Governor to turn down the suggestion of the State Government, based on the recommendations of a search committee, in the appointment of vice-chancellors.In a recent case, the Governor turned down the appointment of S.B. Hinchageri as the Vice-Chancellor of Karnatak University, Dharwad, and instead appointed H.B. Walikar, he said.This has been challenged in the Karnataka High Court.
The Minister said of the 11 government engineering colleges approved by the Yeddyurappa Government so far, civil works of 10 colleges were in progress.
Among the college buildings in the final stages of construction are those in Haveri, Hassan and Ramanagaram. The Government had called for appointment of 60 assistant professors for the engineering colleges and 470 teaching staff for the polytechnics.
Hindu
BANGALORE: Urban governance experts on Wednesday called for a policy of sustainable development.
Pic: Janardan KodavoorUdupi Oct 23: Higher Education Minister V.S. Acharya said on Friday that the State Government had allotted Rs. 40 crore for welfare schemes to uplift the backward communities. He was inaugurating Sri Maharshi Valmiki Jayanti celebrations organised by the district administration and the zilla panchayat here.
Dr. Acharya said the State Government had decided to build Valmiki Bhavans at a cost of Rs. 1 crore each in 18 districts. Hostels for students coming from weaker sections of society would be built in 32 of the 114 most backward taluks identified by the Nanjundappa Committee Report. This would benefit 3,800 students.
To help students of weaker classes to appear for the civil service examinations, the Government would pay for their training in best institutions. Nearly 35,000 students got benefits of the Morarji Desai and other schools built for their benefit in the State.The Government had formulated several programmes to provide education, training, employment, housing and basic civic amenities to the people belonging to weaker classes.
Valmiki, Vyasa and Kalidasa were three great poets of Sanskrit literature. There was a misconception that Sanskrit language was the exclusive preserve of upper castes. But Valmiki, Vyasa and Kalidasa belonged to backward communities and made stellar contribution to Sanskrit literature, Dr. Acharya said.
Writer and president of Udupi District Kannada Sahitya Parishat Ambatanaya Mudrady said that Valmiki Jayanti celebrations should not be confined to a single community. Valmiki was the foremost poet of the country and belonged to all people and not to any one community. Knowledge and talent was not restricted to any one community. Everyone could aspire and strive to achieve it, Mr. Mudrady said.
Coordinator of the Integrated Tribal Development Project Urmila welcomed the gathering. MLA Raghupati Bhat presided over the function. Deputy Commissioner P. Hemalatha, chief executive officer of the zilla panchayat N. Rajashekhar, and zilla panchayat member Gerald Fernandes were present. (The Hindu/ Mangalorean)
200 welfare schemes for people not utilised fullyManipal: Higher Education Minister V.S. Acharya said here on Wednesday that the Government was promoting financial inclusion throughout the State. He was inaugurating the Jnana Jyothi Financial Literacy and Credit Counselling Trust.
The trust, which is sponsored by the SyndicateBank and Vijaya Bank, aims at extending free financial literacy and credit counselling services to existing and potential customers of all the banks in their 10 lead districts in the State.
Dr. Acharya said that many people were unaware of the financial products on offer by banks. It was time that concerted efforts were made to remove this “financial and banking illiteracy”. Although the State Government had formulated about 200 welfare schemes for the sake of people, people were unable to take advantage of them because of their financial illiteracy. The trust would train one lakh gram panchayat members in the State, about banking products and financial inclusion. Since these members live in villages, they would be in a better position to promote financial inclusion.
The Government was providing farm loans at a subsidised interest rate of 3 per cent and subsidised educational loans were available for students.
Karnataka was the first State to take steps to tackle the effects of the global economic meltdown. The strong fundamentals of banks had helped the country tide over this crisis effectively. There was appreciable recovery from the meltdown in the first quarter of 2009. The results of the first quarter of 2010 were the best in the last decade, Dr. Acharya said.
Ramdas M. Pai, Chancellor of Manipal University, said the trust should try to reach “unbanked” villages and promote financial inclusion.
D.T. Pai, managing trustee of the trust, welcomed the gathering.
T. Satish U. Pai, chairman of Manipal Media Network Ltd., released the publicity material of the trust. G.V.K. Shetty, trustee, proposed a vote of thanks.
T.V. Bhat, trustee; S.S. Shet, S.K. Abrol and Sridhar Jas, general managers of SyndicateBank, Santosh Kamath, Deputy General Manager and N. Rajashekhar, chief executive officer of zilla panchayat, were present.
Photo: Janardan KodavoorBrahmavar, October 19, DHNS: Noted film director Girish Kasaravalli was awarded 'Dr Kota Shivarama Karantha award' at the Giriyaru Shambhavi School premises in Kota here on Sunday by Kota Thattu Gram Panchayat in association with the Dr Karantha Janmotsava Samiti.
Speaking after honouring Kasaravalli, Higher Education Minister Dr V S Acharya said that Dr Karantha produced literary works after studying all aspects of literary field deeply. “He was the symbol of love and affection,” he added.
Accepting the award, Kasaravalli said that Dr Karantha had an open mind for modern technology. Dr Karantha, who is an artist, environmentalist, litterateur and thinker, was keen on cinema too.
“The society today is being controlled by cinemas and television shows. Dr Karantha, who was talking authentically about cinema in 1930s itself, had a great vision towards future,” he said adding that Dr Karantha was a writer with dedication and honesty. (Mangalorean)
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